About Food Network's Rachael Ray

Rachael Ray always knew she wanted to be a cook. Even while working at a good store in Albany as a buyer and cook, Rachael studied and took a series of cooking classes to increase her store’s sales during the holidays. Most of you don’t know but this is where her famous 30 minute meals evolved from. The 30 Minute Meal classes became so popular that local newspapers and media sent a reporter to cover the event. The following week, a New York TV station asked Rachael Ray to perform a weekly 30 minute meal segment for the afternoon and evening news. This, as we all know, was definitely the start of something great. The "30-Minute Mediterranean Meals" exploded in popularity and led to a long-term relationship with Food Network, hosting shows such as "Tasty Travels," "$40 a Day," "Inside Dish," and "30-Minute Meals."

Fast forward to 2008, with her now famous magazine, talk show, and cookbooks that continuously held the coveted #1 spot on the New York Times best selling list, it only seems that Rachael Ray’s ascent to stardom is only the beginning. But she wasn’t always so camera friendly.

She remembers growing up in a family with profound culinary traditions, Rachael claims that cooking and celebrating family dinners was a way of life that she was simply born into. “Everyone on all sides of my family takes cooking seriously.” Rachael was exposed to a wide range of cooking styles and techniques, everything from her fathers food-rich traditions of Louisiana, to her grandfathers efficient cooking methods needed to support his family of 12. "I was surrounded by many different styles and types of cooking and worked in the food service industry in just about every capacity you can imagine."